Alliances

Chaz, from his greater height, glared downward at Grimm. "Hold on, Sharlak. You don't do teams, last I heard."
Grimm seemed to chew on this thought for a moment, a grimace crossing his face. "Yes, well, but as I said, these two haven't earned the largest bounties on their heads by being easy to defeat."
A smirk teased at Chaz's lips as he realised what Grimm was saying. "And?"
Kyra, detecting the shift, elbowed Chaz. He looked her way and winked as Grimm squirmed. Finally, the younger hunter spoke up. "I can't defeat them alone and I need your help."
Chaz's smirk broke out into a full grin at those words. "Alright, then, you've got yourself a deal, on one condition."
Grimm seemed to recoil, expecting more humiliation. "Which is?"
"We bring WhiteShadow in alive."

"C'mon, Radlin, we can't think of a plan after knowing about this for all of two minutes;" Zedd scoffed.
Finally, Yasmine spoke up from the back. "Why don't you just tell us your plan, Radlin. I can tell that you're bursting with ideas."
Radlin's teeth peeked out from beneath his red moustache as he grinned.
"It's simple, really. These men haven't done anything wrong, yet. We can't simply attack innocent men in the eyes of the public."
Zedd interrupted. "Why not?"
"And you wonder why your race hasn't had any contact from people in the last thousand years;" WhiteShadow groaned.
"Because, in the eyes of the people of Motavia, we will be criminals, and apart from them hunting us down and killing us, it could help propel Rem's platform to the forefront. A Motavian and two creatures of a previously unidentified race murdering a Palman is hardly an ideal situation."
"So what do you suggest we do then?" Asked Yasmine.
Radlin's smile widened as he got to the heart of his plan. "Well, as I said, Ceph is now the owner of the Hunter's Guild, and it's the base of his power. So, you become hunters. You all seem quite able to handle yourself with a weapon.
"Then, we wait. You can train with me, if you like, and as accepted hunters, we'll be in Ceph's back pocket, right in the heart of the capital. All we need to do is keep our eyes and ears open, and choose our moment. And maybe make a bit of money fighting the evils of the world into the bargain."
They all sat back to think on this for a moment. Apart from Radlin, however, noone seemed too optimistic. After a minute, WhiteShadow spoke up with his concern. "But I've got a bounty on my head. Surely I can't become a hunter when the Guild's members are hunting me already."
Disturbingly, Radlin didn't stop smiling for a moment. "That one's simple, WhiteShadow, although I thought I'd let you come up with yourself; I didn't know whether you were aware of the bounty on your furry head. The Hunter's Guild is built on tradition, and on honour. Once you become a member, your previous sins are forgiven, but for in a case like yours, you'd need a member's recommendation and a six month probation period where you'll be apprenticed to that member. Pass that, however, and you're a hunter for life, bounty or no bounty. That's how felons like Dark-Sol can be hunters, as he garnered the bounty after he became a member, and guys like Chaz Ashley can become hunters, as he was sponsored by Alys. It's a simple system, really."
"Yes, but who's this member who's supposed to recommend me? The only people I know are sitting in this room right now." WhiteShadow passed a paw over those assembled.
"Oh, that's simple;" Radlin replied brightly. "That person is me."

The setting sun's rays hurt Chaz's eyes as he and Kyra walked the streets of Aiedo. After telling Grimm that they would meet him back at the Guild at dawn to set out, they set out for Alys' house to spend the night and prepare. They hadn't spoken since leaving the Guild, but Kyra suddenly piped up.
"As much as I don't like the little upstart;" She began, "did you really have to sweat him like that? And what's this business about bringing in a dangerous criminal alive? I know that it was all self-defence, but you haven't brought in a heavy hitter like these two bounties alive yet. What's different now?"
Chaz smiled and put his hands to his head. "So many questions! Argh! My head hurts!" He deftly dodged a playful slap from Kyra as he smile grew to grin proportions. "Alright, alright, I was going to wait until I had a good meal in me to tell you the whole tale, but now is just as good a time, I guess."
Kyra crossed her arms and pretended to fume for a moment. "Well, get on with it then!"
"Let's talk as we walk;" Chaz responded, "Home's not far away now."
"It still amazes me that you can call it home and Alys' house in the same breath, after all this time," Kyra said as they resumed their walk.
"It's Alys' house, Kyra, always will be. She didn't leave it to me, she never sold it, it's her house. But I spent the best years of my life there and I will always think of it as home. Even if Alys will never reside there again." Chaz's features darkened for a moment before he brightened again, the grief of Alys' memory put away for now. "But anyway, where was I? Oh yes, why WhiteShadow should live. Well, it's a bit of a long story, but what else is there to do, eh? ..."
As Chaz told his tale, they reached Alys' house, not far from the Hunter's Guild itself. They stepped inside just as the sun finally sank below the horizon.

The sounds of construction met Chaz and Kyra's ears as they reached the Hunter's Guild just after sunrise. They were surprised to see Grimm already there, sprawled out on a bench, watching the sun with a somewhat bored expression on his usually spiteful face. Hearing their approach despite the noise, he spoke sarcastically, a smirk crossing his face. "What took you so long, Chaz? I'd hoped that such a famed hunter would have been more punctual." Kyra scowled at the barb, obviously not a morning person, while Chaz smirked right back.
"That's cause I can sleep at night, Grimm." Chaz's tone was icy, and even Grimm recoiled at the verbal potshot. Kyra gave Chaz a burning glare, her eyes red from the sun, but held her tongue; trusting her friend's judgement.
Gathering himself, Grimm reassumed his usual smirk. "The price I pay for being a real man, I guess; not some street thug who got lucky."
Suddenly, Kyra got between the two duelling wits, crossing her arms and looking incredibly angry.
"Would you two jerks knock it off? I thought we were working together here; not aiming for a repeat of Chaz versus Rune."
Chaz grimaced slightly at the mention of his old ally and sparring partner. But Kyra was not yet done; "Now shake hands like the little boys you are, and let's get on with finding WhiteShadow and Dark-Sol."
Chaz and Grimm exchanged icy glares for a moment before Chaz extended his gloved hand. A tense few moments passed, the heat of the new day and the grating sounds of construction adding to the tension in the air. Finally, Grimm shook his head, and reached out to shake Chaz's hand. Both men smirked as they noted the other's attempts to break each other's hand.
"Let's head out then, shall we?" Said Chaz finally.